Museum of Lower Rhine Sacred Art in the Paterskerk. Treasury of the history of faith

On the edge of the historical old town of Kempen stands the magnificent building of the former Franciscan monastery with its cloister and monastery church, popularly known as the Paterskirche. Founded during the Thirty Years' War, it was expanded and furnished in the Baroque style in the middle of the 18th century.

In the former convent building, the Städtische Kramer Museum was set up in 1912, with furniture and handicrafts from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The monastery church remained open for services until 1971. In 1979, the city and the provost's parish of St. Mariae Geburt decided to jointly set up a museum of Lower Rhine art there.

A wealth of objects reflects the history of faith and church life in the region. Sacred exhibits from the 15th to the 19th century are thematically presented in wall cases. Larger sculptures are displayed along the walls. High-quality paintings from the 16th to 18th centuries tell the story of Jesus' passion, show scenes from the lives of saints or portray the town's famous son: Thomas a Kempis, author of Nachfolge Christi. He was born around 1380 in Kempen and died in 1471 in the monastery of Agnetenberg near Zwolle. His remains now rest in the Basilica of Our Lady in Zwolle.

Highlights of the historical ambience of the Sacral Museum are the splendid Baroque high altar with the figure of St. Catherine as patron saint of the Patron saint's Church, and on the other side the organ gallery with its rich stucco decoration. Above it towers the Baroque organ by Christian Ludwig König from 1752, which was restored from 1996 to 2000.

The Sacred Museum in the Paterskerk is a rarity in the Lower Rhine museum landscape and is always worth a visit.

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Museum for Lower Rhine Saxon Art in the Franziskanerkloster Culture Forum

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday to 6 p.m.

https://www.kempen.de/de/inhalt/museum-fuer-niederrheinische-sakralkunst/

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